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Mayor Rob Ford says he’s “ready to take a break” from the mayoral election campaign to “go get help.”

The decision to immediately step away from the campaign — while staying on the ballot — came after the Toronto Sun exclusively obtained a new raunchy audio recording of Ford ranting and swearing in an Etobicoke bar.

The Globe and Mail also published a report that a new video surfaced of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking what has been described as crack-cocaine early Saturday morning.

Ford told the Sun columnist Joe Warmington that he realizes “it’s time” and that he “wants” to “deal with his issues.” He said he is being urged to not leave the mayoral race by people around him.

The audio recording, covertly taped by a patron of Sullie Gorman’s Monday night, captures the mayor being unruly as he’s ordering booze at the Royal York Rd. bar, complaining about his wife Renata and making lewd comments about mayoral contender Karen Stintz.

“I’d like to f-----g jam her (Stintz), but she doesn’t want ... I can’t talk like this...I’m so sorry,” Ford is heard saying on the recording. “I forgot there’s a woman in the house.”

According to one witness, Ford was seen buying shooters and tequila and trying to fight with patrons Monday.

“He was really wasted,” said the witness. “And he was acting like a real ass.”

A bartender at the local watering hole — located in a plaza, near his mother Diane Ford’s home and across from a park named in honour of his father, Doug Ford Sr. – described the mayor as being “in fine form.”

Witnesses say the mayor was not with his driver, Jerry Agyemang, but his Escalade was parked in the plaza lot — something the mayor denies.

Ford was not seen at City Hall the following day.

The mayor said he didn’t recall saying any of the things on the recording, but confirmed he was at Sullie Gorman’s that night.

“I wouldn’t say that — I wouldn’t say the word, ‘jam,’ — that’s not my terminology,” he said in a phone interview with Warmington Wednesday afternoon. “I am appalled (at what I said). I’d like to verify this (audio) first. Of course, I’m just joking around. Clearly, that’s what I mean.”

Also on the recording, Ford was heard ranting about being pressed to keep the gay pride rainbow flag raised at City Hall.

“They put this f-----g flag up ahead of our Canadian flag, I said, ‘No, I’m sorry. Bulls---,” he said.

Ford is heard using threatening language: “Give me a shot right now or I’ll f-----g break your legs. I want another one.” A few moments later, he says, “If you don’t give me a shot I’m going to knock your f-----g teeth out.”

He also uttered: “I’m so f-----g sick of politics, dude. Look at my record” and “I wish that f-----g conversation had never been taped,” but doesn’t specify any context.

Ford, again, said he doesn’t remember — but remained silent when asked if it was one of his drunken stupors.

“I don’t know who I’m threatening,” he said. “This is from Monday night? That’s weird. I wasn’t messed up. I wouldn’t use that language. This was inside the bar? I’d like to know who I threatened to punch out.”

Stintz’s initial reaction to what Ford said about her? Laughter.

“I’m just hoping the (audio) didn’t accurately reflect his feelings towards me as a colleague,” she said in a follow-up phone call.

When told Ford was ready to take a 30-day break from politics, Stintz said it was “a good decision."

“I wish him luck getting the help that he needs,” she said. “I think it is good for him, for his family, I think it’s a very good decision.”

“When you’re addict, you’re always an addict until you realize it,” he said. “It’s taken him quite a while to recognize it and he finally has and that’s good for him. It’s 28 days and he’ll be back in the race, I imagine. If he isn’t, there may be others that choose to enter the race, including myself.”

Ford’s battles with drinking and drugs have made headlines for more than a year and plagued his mayoralty.

Last November, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine but blamed it on “one of my drunken stupors.”

That crack confession came after months of Ford denying he had been caught on video smoking the drug.

In the aftermath, Ford promised in several televised interviews that he had given up drinking entirely after having a "come to Jesus" moment.

Last January, Ford was caught on video at Etobicoke's Steak Queen slurring and swearing about Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair in Jamaican Patois.

After that video surfaced, Ford called the incident "a minor setback."

"I’m entitled to a personal life. My personal life does not interfere with the work I do day in and day out," Ford said at the time.

Back in November, the Sun broke the news about another video of Ford ranting, this time about murdering someone, that was being shopped around.

"I need f---ing 10 minutes to make sure he's dead," Ford said in that video.

Ford came out after that video was made public claiming he had been "extremely, extremely inebriated" when it was filmed.

In a statement of defence filed in March against a lawsuit alleging he orchestrated a jailhouse beating, Ford claimed he was doing a parody of wresting legend Hulk Hogan whom he was soon to arm wrestle.